Fire Escape Smoke Hoods: Protecting Your Family from Smoke Inhalation

Next to installing smoke alarms, the best way to ensure your loved ones do not fall victim to fire may be to acquire a fire escape smoke hood for each member of your family. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fire is among the leading causes of accidental death in the United States. The vast majority of those deaths occur in homes (smoking and cooking are the leading causes of home fires) and most fatalities are the result of toxic gas or smoke inhalation rather than fire itself.
A smoke hood is similar to a gas mask. It includes a translucent, heat-resistant, air-tight bag that seals around the head and an air filter that allows the wearer to breathe while filtering out smoke and harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. Some also protect against certain biological agents such as anthrax. Smoke hoods designed for home use generally provide the user with 30 minutes or more of breathable air.

While smoke hoods can be life savers at home, they are especially important in large structures such as high-rise office buildings, factories, hospitals and schools where people may have to travel a considerable distance to an exit. People caught in a fire in a tall building may be able to use smoke hoods to make their way through smoke-filled stairwells that might otherwise prove deadly.

Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration mandated that smoke hoods (also known as protective breathing equipment) be available for crew members on all commercial flights. Some passengers have followed suit and begun packing smoke hoods in their carry-on bags in order to improve their chance of surviving a fire emergency in the air. Whether that is necessary or prudent is for individuals to decide, but the value of smoke hoods in homes, schools and workplaces is clear. They can be life savers.
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